WEEKLY BULLETIN 18TH JULY

Friendly vs Real Bedford

Our pre-season continues this Saturday, once again we are at Top Field. We welcome newly promoted Step 3 side Real Bedford on Saturday 19 July, with a 3.00pm kick-off at Top Field.

Tickets

Where possible we advising purchasing online. As well as being cheaper, it will ensure your quick and easy entry into the ground through the turnstiles. Please use the following link: https://hitchintownfc.ktckts.com/brand/match-tickets

The online box office remains open until 30 minutes after kick-off.

If you do need to buy your tickets in person, our matchday ticket office will be open from 13.30-15.15, and can be accessed from the rear car park (behind the Canary Club). Once you have purchased a ticket at the matchday ticket office you will then need to walk round to the Turnstiles on Fishponds Road present your ticket for entry. Turnstiles open at 14.00.

More details here:https://hitchintownfc.club/admission-prices/

Parking

Unfortunately supporter parking is not available in the club car park (unless you are a registered blue badge holder and have made prior arrangements).

Food and Drink

The Canary Club bar is open from 11.00am with some of the lowest prices in Hitchin! Drinks can be taken into the ground in a reusable plastic cup. (£1 deposit required). You can exit to the bar during the match and will be re-admitted via the side gate by showing your hand-stamp.

Mad Squirrel Brewery are now a permanent fixture at Top Field matches serving a great range of craft beers. They are located adjacent to the main stand.

Canary Kitchen will be open from when the turnstiles open serving a great range of food and soft drinks including our signature HTFC Pies. They also have ice creams on offer!

Club Shop

Get your matchday programme, teamsheet, chocolate bars, sweets and HTFC merchandise from the club shop.

For full details on the facilities at Top Field see our Matchday Info page here:
https://hitchintownfc.club/matchday-info/

We look forward to welcoming everyone to Top Field and hope that everyone has a great afternoon.

Southern League Fixtures for 2025-26

These have been released today and are shown below. Full details are also up to date on the website here: https://hitchintownfc.club/fixtures-results/

Managers Notes

6-0 Defeat to MK Dons

On Saturday we hosted League Two Mk Dons. We knew this would be a very difficult challenge for our new group as Mk were bringing such a strong team, with one player recently signed for 1 million pounds and another two who played in the Championship last season.

The game started as expected with MK showing their sharpness and athleticism in the opening exchanges. We gave them the first three goals of the game, the first one came when we tried to shield a ball out of play in the 18 yard box but it was stolen and put in the back of the net. The penalty came from some really poor play/decision making in our box and Mk made it two. We then found ourselves three nil down when academy goalkeeper Tyrese Kamara got caught on the ball trying to take on the forward. These three goals are by far the worst we have conceded since I have been leading the group. I was extremely disappointed with how we gifted these goals, regardless of who we were playing against. Our defensive shape was good during the first half and we limited MK to two shots on target with all three of their goals coming from when we had possession of the ball.

Second half we continued with a reasonable defensive structure and limited MK to set plays. Tyrese did have to make two saves during the first 20 minutes of the second half while also conceding a goal from a corner.

Subs were then made for both teams, with academy players Tyrese Kamara and Will McNiell playing 90 minutes as well as Toby Syme.

Mk then scored a fifth late on when a ball over the top was misjudged by Tyrese Kamara who was rounded and then with the last kick of the game a shot was smashed into the back of the net to make the final score 6-0.

I know some people will look at the score and think what is the point of these sorts of games but it’s a great experience for all the players involved to play against professional players. These games also gave us plenty of opportunities to practice our defensive structure and out of possession shape, which was not as bad as the scoreline suggested, as the first three goals came from us having the ball.

We continued to try and implement our principles, despite the odds against us and I firmly believe this will hold us in good stead for the rest of preseason and during the league campaign.

I would like to thank everyone at MK Dons for bringing such a good squad to Top Field as well as their supporters who turned out In such great numbers. I wish you all the best in what should be a very successful season.

4-1 Win against Potton United

On Tuesday we travelled to Potton for the start of our non-league preseason schedule. We welcomed back into the squad Josh Bowler and Josh Jackman who were both unavailable for the Mk Dons game. We also made 6 changes to the starting 11 from Saturday’s game.

We started on the front foot with a fast paced passing game and relentless pressure and this resulted in us taking the lead inside 15 minutes when Taylor Rhiney had a composed finish. Less than 5 minutes later and it was 2-0 after Plamedi Bomolo managed to finish off an excellent move from the right. We then created numerous chances which should have resulted in goals but we just lacked the cutting edge. With 15 minutes to go of the half we took our foot off the gas and allowed Potton back into the game via a volley from a deep free kick. This was a frustrating goal to concede as it was Potton’s first attack of the game and it was very preventable.

The second half started with Potton coming out revitalised and asking more questions of our new group but within 10 minutes Plamedi added his second and our third. We continued to control the pace of the game and create numerous chances but we were unable to find a fourth until Callum Kane’s superb cross was put in for an own goal. We then had at least four more really good chances in the last 15 minutes to extend the lead further but we were unable to convert these chances.

It was a good start to our non-league preseason schedule and it was nice for everyone to see our attacking intent. However I am extremely disappointed with the goal we conceded and the amount of chances we missed, this is something we will improve on as we continue our preseason campaign. It was great to see our principles coming out during the game and it was good to see a starting group of players that only consisted of four from last year’s squad, who implement the concepts and ideas we had been working on.

Thank you to Potton United for hosting us and being very welcoming to everyone. I wish you all the best for the season.

I would also like to thank the travelling support for getting behind the group, I hope you all enjoyed the game. I would also like to give a special mention to our hardcore youngster support, who were playing a drum throughout to create a better atmosphere for the players.

I hope to see you all back at Top Field on Saturday.

Real Bedford Fixture

Saturday we entertain Real Bedford. Real Bedford have been on the rise since Rob Sinclair has taken over and they have won Step 6, Step 5 and now Step 4 in consecutive seasons and now find themselves playing at Step 3 for the first time. Rob has assembled an excellent squad which has a good balance of youth and experience and they have all adapted to his style of play, which has seen them have an unbelievable 3 years together. Rob has managed to keep the majority of his squad each season, while adding a few quality players each year. This makes a massive difference as he already has a group that understands what he wants and is used to winning. This makes it easier to introduce the top quality signings he has made this year.

Rob has also been helpful to myself as I met him in the offseason to talk football and we could have spoken for hours as we both see the game the same way, so it was an absolute no brainer when he asked for a preseason friendly.

Saturday will be a tough test as we are not only playing a team who romped Step 4 but a team that is more than capable of being a top step 3 side and a group of players who have been together for 3 years.

We know they will be excellent with the football, very fit and aggressive when they do not have the ball. They have had an excellent start to preseason scoring 11 goals in their two friendlies so far and they will be confident of another strong performance on Saturday.

I am looking forward to this match as although on paper it is our toughest non-league test of preseason, it should be an excellent game of football.

I hope to see you all on Saturday as we all continue to get behind this new group of players.

Academy Update

Blue Joy, Tyrese Kamara and Will McNiell were all involved against Mk Dons first team.

Blue Joy also played 90 minutes for Biggleswade United on Tuesday night.

Blue Joy and Will McNeill have now dual registered with Step 5 Biggleswade United to further develop and gain experience in senior football. This is a great move for both players and will only improve them both in the long term.

It was also nice to see all 3 players have been sponsored.

• Blue Joy – Comfort Plus Products
• Will McNiell – EMH Technology Ltd
• Tyrese Kamara – Darwin Education

Thank you for supporting these players.

We are still recruiting for the 2025-26 season.

If you would like to be part of the academy or would like to find out more information on what we offer please register your details using this link – https://extranet.wearescl.co.uk/ToolkitNew/webenrolment.aspx?page=~/webcontrols/courseapply.ascx&OfferingId=85258

Michael Jones

Herts Charity Cup

Just a reminder that season ticket holders will need to buy a ticket for our Herts Charity Cup game against Ware on Tuesday 29th July. This is because as it is a cup game receipts have to be shared with the opposition.

There are reduced prices for this game with adults paying £10, concessions £6, teenagers £3 and under 13’s £1.

Ex-Canaries On The Move

Kane Smith has left Stevenage to join Barnet.

Ashley Hay has left Cheltenham to join Dundee.

Community Update

Upcoming Events

Summer Holiday Camps

The Arena, Baldock – Football Holiday Camps

The end of the school year will soon be upon us, and we will be staging our football holiday camps at the Arena, Baldock throughout the school holidays from 29th July to 26th August.

Preston Primary School – Multi-Activity Holiday Camps

The multi-activity holiday camps at Preston Primary School are between 29th July and 21st August.

Mark Burke